I had an elective section for my second child after previous traumatic birth. At booking in appointment for current pregnancy, I asked the community midwife about elective section this time, and she said she would refer me to consultant again, and did, to same consultant I had last time, and I got an appointment letter through to see said consultant in September.
Today, I had a letter from the "Birth after Caesarean" team giving me an appointment in August to "discuss options for women considering vaginal births aftersection or planned sections". I was confused as to what this clinic was, as I already have an appointment to see the consultant to discuss this. So I rang up to enquire. The hospital midwife I spoke to was quite cagey about what the appointment was for and said it was to "discuss it". So I said "Well, I already have an appointment to discuss the elective section I want with Mrs X (consultant) in September - won't she go through it all with me again?". At which the midwife said "Well, I'll cancel this appointment then, as it's clear to me that we won't be able to change your mind, so there's no point"!!
AIBU to be a bit upset about this and think that they should be more honest about what this clinic is for, as it is plainly to try and talk people out of having planned sections, and not to discuss "Options for women considering vaginal birth after section OR PLANNED SECTIONS"?
AIBU?
AIBU about "Birth after Caesarean" clinic.
Caff2 · 30/07/2015 16:45
Planned sections should be discouraged. It's extra strain on the nhs to perform an operation and a vaginal birth is better for the baby
you see this comment makes me want to laugh but of course the reality is far from funny.
Actually vag births cost more to the maternity services than anything else, this is due to damage caused in labour to the mother and baby.
Now - bear in mind these costs - which often have to cover care for babys for instance - starved of oxygen - for the rest of their lives.
However - these costs ^ are only whats known when things have gone to court or really big negligence pay outs.
The women who have been torn asunder, damage below, operations, procedures to rectify, psychological damage, counseling, debilitating back problems, and lessr damage to babies - re admittance to hospital - all these figures are dealt with by different departments and are not shown up on maternity costs, so what the real cost of vag births to the NHS is - I dread to think.
Often C sections are the best thing for a scared mother and the best thing for a baby. They should be offered along with other birth choices.
It's one of these things isn't it, like BF, where one side says all we're interested in is the facts and women having informed choice and support with their choices, and the other side is really sort of zealot-like and evangelical.
People who say women should have the choice say, well, they should have the choice.
The only people who say they should have no choice are the ones who advocate for VB.
A bit like abortion, I wonder if there's any correlation between the "VB at all costs and I'm sticking my fingers in my ears when you talk about risks" and the "women who don't BF are committing child abuse" and the anti-abortion aka forced birth brigade? Not trying to take a poll on here but there does seem to be a common thread ie controlling women when it comes to reproduction related matters.
Headofthehives, that more or less sums it up IMO. It's what's been wrong with maternity services for decades now. The agenda might have changed but the treatment of women is not much different. Of course there are good obs and midwives out there, but there are so many who still seem to have forgotten that women have a brain and feelings as well as a uterus.
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